EDITORIAL: Here's a non-controversial impact fee

People continue to flood into Kootenai County from out of state.

Many have two vehicles. Some have three or more.

None, we believe, are paying their fair share for the toll they take in further congesting traffic, polluting air, increasing accidents and exacerbating the enormously expensive wear and tear on roads, highways and bridges.

All these newcomers are welcome, of course. It’s a free country and if they can afford to live here, then by all means, they have that right. But vehicle owners should ante up right off the bat for the negative impact their wheels are going to create.

Impact is the key word.

In Florida — the second-fastest population-growing state in the nation, next to Texas — leaders recognized the additional costs associated with new residents’ vehicles being added to the ever-expanding motor pool. So they did something about it.

Florida charges $225 for every vehicle being registered in the state for the first time. It’s a one-time impact fee; after that initial blow, it’s approximately $28 to $36 a year for updated tags.

So if Billy Bob from Boise moves to Tampa with four cars, Billy Bob’s going to pay $900 just to get his plates. That fee doesn’t include new titles or driver’s license charges.

While the $900 jolt might have wiped the grin off Billy Bob’s mug for his driver’s license photo, it slightly mitigates headaches for all the other Florida residents who now must make room for Billy Bob’s four cars. That’s only fair.

Newcomers to Idaho pay the same annual vehicle registration fees as those who have lived here forever, basically $45 to $69 depending on the vehicle’s age. If they can afford today’s Gem State housing costs, surely $225 per vehicle isn’t going to break the bank.

The Press encourages North Idaho legislators to consider next session adding a significant one-time impact fee for every vehicle being registered here from out-of-state. It won’t erase road warriors' misery, but it will at least help pay for the pain.